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PLEASE take a few moments to read the following explanation of our adoption policies and the steps that make up the process. You may be surprised to find that adopting an animal is a more involved process than you expected, or that it means you can't have immediate access to an animal you are interested in. Therefore, it's important to understand a few things:

Everything we do is in the best interests of the animals in our care, and is aimed at giving them the best possible chance of finding a permanent, but also a loving, home. They have been through enough, now they deserve the good life.

Our Adoption Process

And Why We Do It This Way

Before you can see (that is, pet, cuddle, walk, and get to know) any animal you've seen in our kennel, we'll ask you to show proof you can have a pet. This proof consists of a lease/pet agreement, for renters, or a mortage/property statement for home owners. We want to confirm our pet's are going to go to an actual home, and that this home will be suitable for the type of pet you have chosen.

We ask that you bring the whole family, including your pets. Although surprise presents, of a little puppy or kitten is so sweet, it is also, simply stated, a surprise. deciding to bring home a pet into your home, should not be a last minute decision. This type of decision deserves a lot of thought and consideration. Bringing everyone in the household, allows for everyone to voice their opinions. This is going to be a family pet. This pet will be interacting with everyone in the family. So everyone should be comfortable with this animal, including your pets. One person not feeling at ease with an animal will cause problems in the household, no matter how hard you try to prevent it. The worst feeling in the world can be regection. Our animals already feel that being in our shelter; it affects them even more, being returned here.

We'll ask you to complete a pre-adoption form. This paperwork must be completed first, in order to minimize stress for you and the animals. Our process includes asking questions, asking to see proof of identity (all potential adopters, MUST be over 18 years of age) and, frequently, asking for veterinary references, particularly when you have other animals at home. This is simply to protect the health of adoption candidates and the pets you already have. As much as we would love to test for diseases, it is an expensive procedure to test every pet. As a potential owner, you do have the option, at an additional charge, to have your new pet tested before they go home.

Once all the paperwork has been satisfactorily completed, we look over the application, and try to find the best match for your home. During this time, you should look at our animals and see which pet will suit your household. If we find a good match, we will have you visit with this pet. During this time frame, make sure to check the animal yourself. How comfortable are you and your family with this pet? How much training will it need? Are you capable of handling the animal? You'll have a sounseling session with a knowledgeable member of our staff who will fill you in on the history and needs of that animal, and his feeding and exercise requirements. Please understand though, MANY of the animals were brought in stray. Knowledge on the pets is very minimal and mostly from observation by our staff during their stay with us. You can ask your counselor any questions you can think of. The main question you should ask yourself is whether you will be the best owner for this pet, and that you are willing to provide the care it will need.

After you have made your decision. You will be asked to sign an adoption contract and pay an adoption fee. The fee covers a physical examination by our doctors at AAA Animal Hospital, their surgery for spaying or neutering (if they have not already had the surgery), vaccinations, a microchip for identification, an information folder with a variety of pet info, and a certificate for a free exam within one month provided by the Doctors at AAA Animal Hospital.

PLEASE NOTE: As a general rule, we cannot hold animals for anyone. Unfortunately, because of the tremendous demands on our kennel space, all adoptions must be done on a first-come, first-served basis, and the first good, property-qualified prospective home will get the pet. The shelter will not take holds over the phone either. A potential adopter may only place a ONE TIME hour hold on a pet this is to ensure that each adopter is given the same equal opportunity at adopting a pet from our shelter. The shelter DOES NOT take deposits to hold a pet.

LET US REPEAT: We don't ever mean to be frustrating or even evasive with you. We want you to understand that it's stressful and upsetting, in fact, downright devastating, for the animals, for our staff, and most importantly, for you when adoptions don't work out and pets have to come back to us. And a bad adoption experience can sour some people on dogs or cats, or on shelter animals, for life. So try to bear with us and be patient. Understand that going through the process the way we do really is the best policy, for all of us.

THANK YOU for your patience and understanding.
Just like you, our main concern is the well-being of our animals.
They have gone through enough, its time for a change.

The process is the same for everyone; our animals deserve the best so we seek the best

It's not our intent to frustrate you, or make it hard for you, we are only seeking good matches

Our concerns are just like yours; the wellbeing of our pets

senior pet special!!!

Pets 7 years or older are $65

Who We Are
The Orange County Humane Society (OCHS) is dedicated to the protection of abused, unwanted, neglected and under-appreciated animals.
Dogs and Cats for Adoption
All of our adoptions include: spay/neuter, pre-adoption exam, vaccinations, microchip with registration, and a free exam at AAA Animal Hospital.
Donate
Please visit our Wish List for the supplies and items that are needed at our shelter or feel free to call us at 714-536-8480.

Testimonial

Thank you to the OC Humane Society team for introducing us to Maxwell (now Bruno) he has been an amazing addition to our little family. He knows all of his basic commands and even knows heel! A surprise to us since he was found as a stray.